Episode 2: The Yellow Link
by talli.b
Summary: Episode 2 of the Season 3 fan fic. Note, the first two chapters are actually what used to be chapters 14 and 15 of "I'll Always Find You".
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: I do not own these characters or the show.

* * *

They arrived at the new house, not able to believe their eyes. It was a Spanish style...mansion, for lack of a better word. Before they could explore the new house, Sarah immediately got down to business. She had found the new IDs on the coffee table in the main living area, and inspected them, finding them acceptable. She asked everyone to sit down, and began with the "debriefing."

"We just moved here from Seattle. John and Cameron are-" Before she could continue, John cut her off.

"Mom, may I?" Confused, and surprised, Sarah allowed him to take over, not sure what else to do.

"If it's not too weird, I'd like to be able to say that Kyle is my father. I'd like our cover to be the three of us. Derek will be Kyle's brother, and my uncle, who lives in the guest house. Cameron won't be my sister this time." Everyone, including Cameron, was confused. John had been thinking a lot about it, and he knew that he didn't want to have to be worried about being out with Cameron and keeping up the pretense of being brother and sister. If they couldn't be themselves in the house, he wanted to be able to be themselves out in the world. The trouble had been figuring out a logical reason to sell his mom on the idea. He had figured one out, but it wasn't flawless like he'd hoped.

"Mom, you can never remember to treat Cameron as a daughter. You're always talking about things that you and I did together when I was little. You talk about being pregnant with me. You're often hostile at best when around Cameron. And it's going to be hard enough convincing people that I have grown up with Kyle as a father, we don't need to add more factors to the equation. Now, more than ever, we need to avoid any suspicion at all."

"So how do we explain Cameron?" Sarah asked, which was expected, of course.

"You are her godmother, and her parents were killed in a car crash a few months ago. We moved here for a change of scenery. We can even say that she was in the crash, which could explain the metal plate in her head and her strange behavior, if the need should ever arise."

"Just a metal plate in her head?" Derek asked, somewhat amused.

"It's the most common place for a human to realistically have metal. We've encountered metal detectors, and this explanation has always worked. They run the hand-held metal detector over her head, and are convinced that that is what is setting off the larger detector."

He turned from Derek, and addressed the room again.

"As far as jobs, I think we should say that Kyle and Derek are independent security consultants. It allows them to believably have flexible schedules, as well as the money to pay for this house and whatever else we may acquire in the future. We can say that mom is a stay-at-home mom, and Cameron and I have graduated and are taking some time off before college. Is this acceptable?" When no one spoke, he continued. "I'll take that as a yes. Let's get settled then."

After inspecting the house, they found that it had a split floor plan with the master bedroom and one other room (presumably for an office or baby nursery), with the other two rooms for the children on the other side of the house. The rooms were already furnished accordingly, with a king size bed in the master bedroom, the bedroom next to it furnished as an office. The remaining two rooms were furnished with queen size beds, one for a boy, one obviously for a girl. When Sarah had realized that if Kyle were to be believed as her husband, he would need to stay in the main house, yet there was no bed for him, she pointed out, "We'll have to make the office a guest room that you can stay in." _No need to make things more awkward or assuming._

Derek had returned from checking out the guest house, in which he found a bedroom with the second room being utilized as an office much like in the main house. He opened the fridge, not surprised to find it fully stocked, much like his. It had been so long since he'd had to worry about what he or others were going to eat and whether they had enough, he almost felt guilty for having this much food. He checked the clock on the microwave. It was 6:30 in the evening already. He wasn't sure when they'd arrived in this time, but he knew that it was about time for dinner. He instantly found what he was looking for. He pulled out a delicious looking steak and began preparing it. _Even if it's the worst steak I've ever tasted, it'll still taste amazing to me. I can't remember the last time I had steak._

_

* * *

_

Cameron and John found their rooms. Cameron had joined John in his room. Their rooms were connected by a Jack-and-Jill bathroom, like the previous house. John was glad of this, seeing as this could now be utilized in a most advantageous way. Their first house had also had an adjoining door between their two bedrooms. It was like his mom _wanted_ them to sneak into each others' bedrooms. He obviously knew there was no chance of this, but was amused regardless.

John had closed the door, but hadn't locked it. The advantage of sneaking around with a machine was that she could hear when someone was coming. Plus, he didn't want to alert any more suspicion than necessary. But he did want it closed, just in case.

They were lying on his bed, holding hands. Simple, yet exactly what John needed at that moment. He had just accepted the challenge of something that he felt was completely out of his capabilities. But his whole life, people have told him that it isn't, so he had to start sometime. He knew this, and knew that there was no better time to start than now. They couldn't turn down this opportunity to save the human race. They couldn't put it off. It was happening now, whether he was ready or not. And he would be ready. He'd make sure of it. If not, he hoped Cameron could make sure of it.

"Derek's making dinner. Steak." Cameron said, out of the blue.

"How do you know?"

"I can smell it."

"I mean, how do you know it's Derek?"

"Because Sarah and Kyle are still on the other side of the house. They haven't left that part of the house since we left them there. We should go see if Derek needs any help." John was surprised at her concern for Derek, but realized it was just as likely she was concerned that John needed to build a relationship with this Derek. Or she could just be concerned about what John would be eating for dinner. One could never know when it came to Cameron. It was one of the things he liked most about her.

Cameron followed him out to the kitchen, and sure enough there was Derek, preparing the steak. Derek turned to look at them as they entered. Without prompting, he explained, "Just seasoning the steak, then I'll take it outside and barbecue it." He seemed pretty excited about this, and it occurred to John that this probably was pretty exciting to Derek. Not much steak where he comes from.

"John and I will prepare the side dishes." Cameron turned to John. "You can make a salad." She went to the fridge and got the ingredients out for a salad and set it out on the counter for John. Then she went back to the fridge and extracted a bag of potatoes, and what looked to be the ingredients needed for a pie. She turned to Derek. "How do you like your potatoes?" Derek just gave her a blank expression, not completely sure what she meant. She prompted him, "Mashed, baked, grilled, fried, tatered...?" At the last word, John almost choked on the bite of carrot he'd been chewing on.

Cameron gave him a confused and worried look. She knew that he wasn't actually choking, but almost choking was never good.

"Sorry, Cameron, just...tatered?"

"Yes. Tater tots. They are made from potatoes."

Amused, John responded, "Okay, I guess that makes sense. It's just, we don't usually use it as a verb."

"Oh. Thank you for explaining." She gave John one of those smiles he always loved, which made him blush a little.

Derek spoke up, trying to relieve the tension in the room that in actuality only he felt. "So I'm just going to take this out and start grilling. So let me know if you need anything." And just like that, he was gone.

Logically, John knew that Derek had needed to start grilling, but he also suspected that his uncle had been uncomfortable with his interaction with Cameron._ I'll have to be more careful in the future when I'm with Cameron around the others_, he thought to himself.

Cameron, sensing that John was slightly upset, and knowing that no one could see them, placed her hand flat on her back and started rubbing it, then quickly kissed him on the cheek. He blushed again, glad that no one was there to see them.

* * *

By the time Sarah and Kyle had returned from discussing the remodeling of the office, Derek's dinner was done. They all sat down at the large dining room table, for the first time using proper tableware. It was a change for everyone, and the only one who didn't seem uncomfortable with the drastic difference was Cameron, of course.

No one knew what to do. Sarah was waiting for what she considered the "guests" to dig in first, while Derek and Kyle expected her to pray or something. Or at least invite them to eat. Finally, John reached out and started spooning mashed potatoes onto his plate. Cameron put some salad on his plate as well before the rest of the family soon joined in. Derek had cut up the steak into four separate pieces, and took one for himself. The rest followed suit. Cameron sat there, content being the only one not eating, as there was no need for her to. John felt bad, though, and spooned some mashed potatoes onto her plate, adding a little bit of salad, and cutting off a piece of his steak for her. Then he poured some of his soda into her cup before digging into his food.

Derek and Kyle, noticing this, looked at Cameron skeptically. They couldn't help but wonder why John had given the machine food if she couldn't eat it? For looks? So she wouldn't be left out? Then Cameron surprised them by taking a bite of mashed potatoes. She looked straight at them and said, "They are better tatered." This made John laugh out loud, which alleviated much of the tension in the room. Sarah was so glad to see her son laughing, that she began laughing as well. As soon as Derek and Kyle broke from their state of shock, they joined the two. Cameron, not sure what to do, but remembering what John had said about "tatered" not being used as a verb, she was able to guess that this was the source of their amusement and starting laughing as well. Seeing Cameron, a machine, laugh, set everyone off again. It was awhile before they were able to settle down and finish eating dinner, but once they did settle down, everyone was much more comfortable.

After dinner, and after they had each had a slice of the delicious fresh apple pie Cameron had baked, Sarah and Kyle insisted on doing the dishes, since everyone else had helped to prepare the food. Derek went straight to the TV, excited to do something mindless for a little while.

Cameron and John were on their way to John's room when the door bell rang. John opened the door, which revealed John Henry, smiling somewhat creepily. At least John thought it was creepy.

"John Henry. What are you doing here?" Though John was pretty sure he knew. They were going to start now. Not even a day off. It starts now.

John Henry replied, "I am here to give you your assignments." He stood there patiently.

John realized that he was waiting to be invited in. "John Henry, would you like to come in?"

John Henry seemed thoroughly pleased as he responded, "Yes, thank you very much John."

The rest of the family had been within hearing distance, so they had convened in the great room. John Henry motioned for Cameron and John to sit down with the adults, and they obliged.

"I have found three possible leads in regards to my brother, who I believe to be Skynet." Derek and Kyle didn't know what John Henry meant by this, but didn't much care as long as it meant that they were about to take down something important, possibly Skynet.

"John and Cameron. You two will take one of the vehicles located in the garage to 3241 W. Crayson St. You will observe only. Report back any suspicious activity, and we will proceed from there." He turned to Sarah and Derek. "The two of you will visit the headquarters of a major upcoming tech company, Arkarna Industries. We need to see if there is any evidence of Artificial Intelligence research and/or development. I will disable the security system so that your presence will go undetected." Sarah hesitated to trust a machine with such an important task, but knew that she could not disable a security system herself, and decided to trust him. For now.

Then John Henry spoke to Kyle. "Kyle, Mr. Ellison will arrive shortly, and the two of you will proceed to the Los Angeles Docks where an unidentified shipment is arriving on a freighter at midnight tonight. You will simply attach this transmitter onto one of the shipments, and we will be able to track it. If you have an opportunity to determine the contents of the shipments, then you are instructed to do so, but do not attempt this if you face any risk of getting caught." John Henry handed the transmitter to Kyle.

"You have one hour to reach your assigned destinations. Once you have completed your assignments, return here. I will be returning later for a debriefing of any information that may be acquired tonight. Good luck." Another creepy smile, and John Henry exited the house.

* * *

The five of them had headed down to the basement to arm themselves and had found an alarming variety and amount of weapons. They each took their favorites before heading back upstairs. The house had been stocked with the basic necessities; basic clothing for everyone, toothbrush, toothpaste, etc. So everyone got ready for their assignments. About 15 minutes after John Henry had left, Ellison arrived and they all piled into the three different cars and headed out.

When John and Cameron arrived at 3241 W. Crayson St., John instantly identified it as a large warehouse. In his experience, large warehouses often meant trouble. John parked the car across the street. He turned to Cameron, away from the warehouse, and took in a deep breath, which he needed after seeing her bathed in the pale moonlight. Everything had happened so fast, but yet it felt like he had been waiting for this for too long. Which, technically, he had been. He couldn't help himself. He reached a hand out to brush back her hair. He loved how soft it was.

"It's the hardest thing to get right," Cameron stated.

John looked at her, confused, so she explained. "The hair. It's the hardest thing to get right."

John realized that she meant it was the hardest thing to get right on a machine. He pushed the thought out of his mind, not wanting to think of where they got the hair.

"John?" Cameron implored.

"Yeah, Cameron?" _It seems like so many of our conversations go this way. But it makes sense. She's such a creature of habit._

"Do you mind that I'm a machine?"

The question threw him off. On one hand, of course it would be easier and more acceptable to be in love with a human. If Cameron were human, it would make everything easier. But on the other hand, she probably wouldn't be the same Cameron that he had grown to love. He thought of Allison. He could have tried to build something with her, but it wouldn't have been the same. She wasn't Cameron. Everything Cameron was came from her experiences...and her programming. She was who she was in part because she's a machine. He knew his answer then.

"No, I don't mind that you're a machine." She smiled widely at this, obviously being very worried that his answer would be different.

"Well, I don't mind that you're human." John recognized this as a joke, which comforted him. He laughed, which made her smile even wider.

Suddenly, her smile disappeared, though, and she became serious and focused on something outside, past John.

John turned to see what upset her, and saw a familiar face approaching the warehouse and then entering.


	2. Chapter 2

DISCLAIMER: I do not own these characters or the show.

* * *

"George McCarthy," Cameron stated, repeating the exact name that had formed in John's thoughts. He hadn't been able to speak the words, but of course she could and did.

John turned back to Cameron. "He has the drone, doesn't he?"

"I can't be entirely sure, John, but it is very possible, yes."

"Well, we need to do something." He reached for the car door, but Cameron stopped him.

"No, John. We are only to observe tonight. We do not know what is going on inside that warehouse, and we are most likely outnumbered and out-armed."

Cameron's logic calmed John. "So, what? We just leave?"

"Yes, John. There is no reason for them to change their location. Also, John Henry will be able to monitor them if they do."

This calmed John even more. "Okay, then, let's head back."

* * *

Ellison pulled the car into an empty space, where they could easily see the freighter when it arrived. Ellison looked at his watch. It was 10:32. They had a long wait in front of them.

Kyle and Ellison hadn't spoke the whole ride there. So Ellison was surprised when Kyle began speaking.

"Why do you think John Henry asked me to come with you?"

Ellison wasn't sure what Kyle's point was. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, why send Derek with Sarah, and me with you? He could have just as easily sent me with Sarah and Derek with you."

Wheels starting turning in Ellison's head. Derek Reese. Kyle Reese. Sarah and John's last known alias before they jumped forward in time._ Could it be...?_

But Ellison couldn't wrap his head around something like this. He'd learned over the past year, and even more so after the past few days, that some things were better left alone. Especially when it comes to time travel.

But he could answer Kyle's question. He was pretty sure he knew why John Henry had assigned everyone the way that he had.

"I can't be sure, but it probably has something to do with Derek." Kyle gave him a confused look, so Ellison continued. "The other Derek, the one from John's time, was a fugitive. He had been indirectly linked to me in a couple of circumstances, and none of us can afford the kind of problems that could come from seeing the two of us together. Especially since..." Ellison trailed off, not sure if Kyle knew about what happened to the other Derek.

"Especially since what?"

Ellison knew he couldn't go back now.

"Since the other Derek is dead."

"Oh." This made sense to Kyle, though. If Derek had been here before, and was still alive than where was he now? He couldn't believe he hadn't thought about it before.

"I'm sorry," was all Ellison could think to say.

"It doesn't matter. This Derek is alive."

* * *

Sarah opened the back door to the Arkana Industries building, hoping that John Henry had disabled the security system. She didn't hear an alarm, but she was smart enough to know that many companies now used silent alarms. _More chance of catching the intruders._

Luckily, the file rooms were located near the back door, so it didn't take long to find them. Sarah tried the door handle, and was relieved when it, too was unlocked. _Thank god for electronic locks,_ Sarah thought to herself ironically.

She and Derek entered the file room, which actually surprised Sarah. The file room was actually a bank of computers. She knew it shouldn't have surprised her, as this was a tech company, but she was surprised nonetheless. She hesitated, not sure what to do, when suddenly her phone rang. She pressed the "answer" button, and heard John Henry's voice on the other end of the phone. John Henry then entered the code, which threw Sarah off. She almost forgot to enter the code herself, but soon remembered.

"I am not able to access their intranet. They have a sophisticated security system for these computers, which is what makes me suspicious of them. I cannot access them, but I can tell you how to manually access them. Sarah, I want you to go to the first computer." Sarah did this, and John Henry continued.

"Okay, now open the DOS command window. To do this, press F4 at the top of the keyboard." Sarah did as John Henry asked. "Now type in the code I have sent to you via the text feature on your phone, and the password should appear. Once it does, log in to the records and begin searching for any mention of Artificial Intelligence research or projects. If any convincing evidence appears, please bring the hard drives back to me, so I can run a full analysis on the data. Also, log on to one of the other computers so Derek may assist you. Thank you, Sarah." And with that, John Henry had hung up.

Sarah checked her phone, and saw that she did, indeed, have a new text message.

* * *

When John and Cameron arrived back at the house, they realized they were the first ones back. They weren't surprised since their assignment had been completed so quickly.

John relished the idea of them having the house alone. He knew with so many people living here that it would be a rare occurrence. He decided to take full advantage of this.

Cameron couldn't help but notice the glow radiating from John, which was rare indeed. "I like it when you're happy."

He smiled even wider, and took her into his arms. He looked straight into her eyes and replied, "Well, it's because of you, you know?"

This made Cameron's smile match John's. "How?"

"Because, in case you haven't noticed, we are alone. No sneaking around, no monitoring everyone's location in the house."

Realization dawned on Cameron. "Oh. Thank you for explaining." And with that, she leaned in and began kissing him passionately. John's room was near the front door, so she easily guided him in. When they reached the bed, she gently pushed John down onto the bed and climbed on top of him. She kissed him deeper as John realized where this was going.

"Cameron?"

She didn't answer him at first, so he repeated himself.

"Cameron?" He gently pushed her away, hoping it would get her attention.

It did. She looked at him, confusion written all over her face. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, no. I just...what was that?"

"I was kissing you. And you were kissing me."

"Yes, but what was going to happen next?"

"I can't know that, John, but I assumed that we would have sexual intercourse."

John blushed, embarrassed. He'd barely ever kissed a girl, and now...

"Well, Cameron, you know, it's still early. We shouldn't rush anything. _What am I saying? There's a beautiful girl (kind of a girl, at least) straddling you, ready to have sex with you, and you're stopping her?_

"I don't understand, John. Aren't you attracted to me?"

"Of course I am."

"And you love me."

"Yes, very much so." John was surprised at how easily he could admit it now that he had finally accepted it.

"Well, when two people are attracted to each other, and they love each other, they engage in sexual intercourse."

_Can't argue with that logic._

John was out of excuses, and he was unable to deny her any longer. He reached up and pulled her back down to kiss him. Just as they were beginning to lose themselves again, Cameron suddenly stopped.

John confused, asked her, "What is it?"

"Someone is here. It must be your mother and Derek."

_Great. The two people that would be the most pissed at seeing us like this._

Cameron quickly climbed off of John while John said a silent prayer to whoever was listening that things hadn't progressed too far before his mom and Derek had returned.

John followed Cameron into the kitchen, where he opened the fridge to look for a snack. Just then, he heard the door open, and a moment later his mother and Derek appeared.

Derek addressed John, "So did anything interesting happen with you two tonight?"


	3. Chapter 3

DISCLAIMER: I do not own these characters or the show.

* * *

Sarah had sent Cameron out to secure the area, while Derek sat himself in front of the TV, watching some mindless reality show. He couldn't quite understand why it had been made in the first place, but it was late, and there wasn't really anything interesting on, so he settled for it.

Sarah glanced at the clock, noting that it was already 11:45. _Kyle and Ellison won't be here for another 30 minutes at least._ She realized then that she hadn't had any quality time with her son since he had returned, and went in search of him.

She had found him in his room, where he had retreated after Sarah had sent Cameron out. The door was open, but Sarah knocked lightly anyway. John looked up from where he was laying on the bed, and silently granted her access. She sat down on the foot of the bed while he sat himself up.

She didn't know where to start, so she chose the obvious question. "What was it like?"

John, confused at first, quickly realized what she was talking about. The future. "It was...different. It was a world without John Connor."

At her perplexed look, he explained. "I had jumped over all of those years. No one knew who John Connor was. They weren't reprogramming machines. They weren't really even fighting the machines. They were surviving, that's it. I don't think there was any real leadership or organization. I mean, Kyle was running his own base, but it didn't seem like the base was a part of something bigger."

"So what you're saying is you really are necessary to humanity?"

Begrudgingly, he replied, "Yeah, I guess so. Or at least someone willing to do what I am supposed to do."

"Are you okay, John?"

The question surprised him. He wasn't sure where it had come from. She rarely would ask him if he was okay, because it was pretty much understood that neither of them were ever really okay.

"Yeah, why do you ask?"

"Well, it's a lot. Not just what happened in the future, but what happened right before you left. Charley, and..." she trailed off, not wanting to think about what had happened to Charley. "And then you jump through time and meet your father and your dead uncle, it's got to be a lot to handle."

"Yeah, but that's our life, right? We just roll with the punches."

It was times like these when Sarah would really feel for her son. She just wished that he could have a somewhat normal life. That he didn't have to know how to shoot a rifle or reprogram a machine sent to kill him, or travel through time, or even not know his father until late in his life and under these strange circumstances. All of this caused a deep sadness that was with Sarah at all times, but which she buried deep within herself for lack of any other choice. Because if she really admitted any of this to herself, she knew she wouldn't have the strength to go on. So again, she buried these feelings and turned to her son.

"Yes. We roll with the punches."

John's eyes moved to a point behind Sarah. Sarah turned to find Cameron, back from her patrol.

Cameron stated to Sarah, "The area is secure. There are no threats." Then she turned to John, at which point Sarah got up to leave the room. Before leaving, though, she turned back to both of them and said, "When Kyle and Ellison get back, we'll meet together for a debriefing." John nodded his approval before Sarah finally left the room.

When John turned back to Cameron, he noticed a concerned look on her face. "What's wrong?" Before telling him, she went and closed the door so no one could hear her. Then she turned back to John.

"Shouldn't we tell Sarah and Derek about George McCarthy? It doesn't seem like something that should wait."

He thought about it for a second. "Maybe. But I really don't think it will matter if we wait an hour. Besides, John Henry said he would contact us once we all returned. If I tell my mom now, she'll probably just want to go torch the place right away. Probably not the best idea."

This answer seemed to placate Cameron, and when John reached out his hand for her to come to him, she obliged. She stood in front of him where he sat on the edge of the bed. He held her hips and smiled up at her. She smiled back and rubbed her fingers through what little hair he had. She leaned down and kissed him softly on the lips before moving to sit next to him on the bed. They turned their bodies towards each other as he lifted up a hand to caress the side of her face. He looked at her contemplatively.

"John? What is it?"

"Nothing, I just...I'm thinking about..." He didn't know how to explain to her without hurting her feelings.

"What, John? It's okay, you can tell me anything." She thought for a moment, deciding to remind him of something that may comfort him. "You tell me everything in the future."

"Everything?" he implored, remembering vaguely when she had told him that she was sure there was a possibility that he actually hadn't told her everything.

"Not everything. Just everything that you would tell another person. It's true...you kept some things to yourself. But you confided in me. You can do that now. You used to do that. Before..." Cameron wasn't one not to finish a thought, but in spending so much time around humans, John in particular, she was now more adept at recognizing subjects that may be too sensitive to mention, so she stopped herself.

However, John knew immediately what she was about to say, and was silently grateful that she hadn't actually said it.

"I just...I still have questions. I mean, I love you, and I've accepted that it's something I can't ignore, but I'm still not sure if that's okay. Maybe...I don't know, maybe it's something I should ignore." He braced himself, ready for some strong reaction from Cameron, but it didn't come.

She looked down at the floor, seemingly deep in thought. After a few moments, she looked back up at John and replied, "I don't know either John. I have extensive knowledge on many things, but there are some things I'm not sure I'll ever understand."

"Like what?"

"Like what it really means to be a machine. How do I know whether everything I say and do is decided by my programming, or if it is actually some sort of evolvement stemming from my programming?"

John was lost, not sure what she was saying. "Cameron, I have no idea what you mean."

Cameron thought about the appropriate analogy to humans, and continued. "Humans have brains that are programmed to respond in certain ways. Attraction is born out of a brain's reaction to certain pheromones. Arms and legs work the same way in most humans, as well as the five senses. You all are essentially born of the same programming. But through experiences, humans evolve into separate entities. They utilize their programming in different ways and begin to react to situations in different ways. Theoretically, machines, myself specifically, could evolve in much the same way. I've been built to mimic human behavior, but since the human responses are available to me, it is entirely possible that I could take that knowledge and develop it into who I am. I can integrate these simulations into my programming so much so that at a point, it becomes who I am. And I think that's what's been happening. Ever since the explosion, the lines have been blurred. The simulations are not actually simulations, I have been experiencing them, uncontrollably. I am still unsure of what all of them are, but I do know that I have a negative reaction to some situations, while I have a positive reaction to others. And sometimes, it's a little of both. But I'm not sure what this means."

John had been listening intently. This had been the most Cameron had ever spoke. It took him a moment to realize that she had stopped talking. He said the first thing he thought of. "Then I'll help you understand. We'll figure it out together." Then he leaned in and kissed her softly.

* * *

When Sarah left John's room, she heard the door close behind her soon afterward. She pushed the thoughts out of her head of what that could mean.

She found Derek still spread out in front of the TV. She shook her head in disapproval, then reached for the remote and turned the TV off. Derek looked up at her, obviously annoyed that she had interrupted his mindless fun. She sat down on the other couch. He looked at her expectantly, hoping that she had some valid reason for annoying him.

But she didn't. Sarah had no idea what, if anything, she wanted to say. If she thought about it too much, it was too weird. Here was Derek, in front of her, alive. A week ago, he had a bullet in his head.

Derek broke the silence. "So you and my brother..."

She looked up. "Yeah." She found it somewhat amusing that he had approached the subject much like Kyle had. In fact, pretty much exactly as Kyle had.

"It's too bad." She looked at him, confused. When he realized what that had sounded like, he quickly stammered for a recovery. "No, I just mean that you, John, it's almost like it's always been post J-Day for the two of you. You never get to take advantage of all of this. It's a shame."

"Yeah. But it's the only choice. We either run or fight. Either way, we'll always be looking behind our back."

"So you chose to fight."

"I didn't. He did."

* * *

Ellison and Kyle had been sitting in silence most of the night. Checking the clock, Ellison realized it was almost midnight. He turned his attention back to the dock and saw a freighter approaching.

This got Kyle's attention and they both watched as the freighter pulled in and a group of men approached from the other side of the parking lot.

The men boarded the freighter and appeared a few minutes later pulling large carts that carried numerous shipping containers.

They all returned to the freighter, presumably to transport more of the containers, so Ellison and Kyle took that opportunity to approach. When they got to the containers, they lifted up the lids, and found countless assault rifles. Ellison checked another container, while Kyle hid the tracking device inside the first container and closed the lid. In the second container, Ellison found much of the same, and determined that most likely this was true of all of the containers.

Before they could get caught, Ellison and Kyle made their way back to the car, and drove off.

* * *

At Catherine Weaver's house, Savannah had been asleep for a few hours. When John Henry had returned from his meeting with John and the rest of the team, he had informed the T-1001 of the success of his visit before resuming his previous contemplations. There were many leads that needed to be followed, and even for John Henry, it was impossible to follow each of them without help.

After a while, the T-1001 approached John Henry. "John Henry, what is your current analysis of the situation?"

"My current analysis is that once we find and destroy my brother, it seems we will have additional threats that will be necessary to disable."

"I understand. I expected as much. We will deal with them accordingly once it is time. But for now, let us concentrate on your brother."

"Yes. Let us concentrate on my brother."


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Really short chapter, guys. This whole "episode" thing is taking some getting used to. Now I'm worried about how many chapters per episode, and where to leave off and stuff, and this chapter had an end point, so I took advantage of it.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own these characters or the show.

* * *

When Ellison and Kyle returned to the house, it was almost one o'clock in the morning. Everyone was tired, especially those experiencing time lag. In fact, Derek had fallen asleep in front of some show counting down the best celebrity downfalls or something like that. No one had really been paying attention, especially not Derek. Ellison, seeing that no one was up for a debriefing at this time, said a quiet goodbye to Kyle and Sarah, and left to get some sleep himself.

Sarah turned to Kyle. "Since Derek is passed out on the couch, I guess you can stay in the guest house tonight, if you want. We'll get you your own bed as soon as possible."

Kyle looked around. "Is John asleep too?"

"I'm not sure. He and Cameron have been holed up in his room for the past hour or so." Kyle noticed the hostility in her voice, but decided it would be best to ignore it.

"Okay, then, I'll head over to the guest house. That is, if you don't need anything else."

Sarah wasn't sure what she would need, if anything. "No, I'm good. I'll just get some sleep."

"Okay, then. I'll see you in the morning."

* * *

The next morning, John woke up, and realized that he had fallen asleep next to Cameron the night before. She was still there, but he couldn't be sure if she had been there the whole night.

He was about to say something, when he heard his mom yelling from the kitchen. "Pancakes are ready! Time to wake up John!"

John looked at the clock. It was 8:12 in the morning. _She couldn't at least let us sleep in?_

He got out of bed, and gave Cameron a quick peck on the cheek before opening the door and heading to the kitchen.

Sarah tried not to take notice of Cameron and John entering the kitchen together, knowing it was very possible that Cameron had spent the night in John's room.

Sarah's yelling had, of course, caused Derek to wake up as well. Kyle was already up and setting the table.

_He must have set the alarm or something,_ John thought to himself. _No way he got home that late, then woke up this early on his own; especially with the time lag._

Derek entered the kitchen after having to force himself off of the couch. "You maybe couldn't let us sleep in? What's the rush?"

John chuckled slightly at Derek's bluntness.

Sarah gave Derek one of her death stares, and stated, "John Henry's on his way, I thought everyone would want to eat something before we got going."

Derek noticed the pancakes and exclaimed, "Pancakes! Haven't had pancakes in forever!"

At this, John, had to laugh out loud. Kyle and Derek gave him a strange look, while Sarah and Cameron instantly understood why he had laughed.

"What's up with you?" Kyle asked.

"Nothing, it's just...nothing."

Kyle dropped it, and they all sat down to start eating.

After a few minutes, the doorbell rang. Cameron got up to answer the door, while the rest quickly finished up their breakfast.

When Cameron opened the door, she wasn't surprised to see John Henry.

"Hello," Cameron greeted him. John Henry replied with a simple "Hello" as well.

The two machines made their way to the living room. Sarah was already there, and the others were on their way.

They all sat in the same places as the night before, and John Henry began speaking. "Hello everyone. Thank you all for completing my requests last night. I am very interested to know what information was acquired."

He turned to Sarah, obviously wanting her to inform him of what she and Derek had learned.

"Uh, well, we got the hard drive from one of the computers. There was no mention of Artificial Intelligence, but there were some encrypted codes, and we thought maybe that might be something important."

"Thank you, Sarah. Thank you, Derek. This could be very beneficial." He then turned to Kyle. "And what information were you and Mr. Ellison able to obtain?"

"Well, the shipment was a bunch of weapons. Not sure if this is connected to Skynet, but I placed the tracking device in one of the containers."

"Yes, I noticed that. Thank you, Kyle, I will keep track of the shipment, and see if it produces any other leads."

Lastly, John Henry, turned to John, and before John Henry could ask John what he and Cameron had found, John spoke. "Cameron and I saw someone familiar at the warehouse."

This got everyone's attention, especially Sarah's.

John looked at his mom. "It was George McCarthy, Zoe's dad."

"And you waited until now to tell me this?"

"Mom, there wasn't anything we could do."

"You don't know that."

"Look, I didn't tell you, and that's that." He turned back to John Henry. "What does this mean? What's the next step?"

"I will look into it. Until then, Ms. Weaver and I think that it would be beneficial if all of you continue to pursue leads. John, if you'd like, a few of you could return to the warehouse and gather more information. I will let you know if I find anything interesting on the hard drives or anywhere else."

He turned to Sarah. "The hard drives, please."

Sarah got up and retrieved the hard drives from her bag, and gave them to John Henry. Before leaving, John Henry addressed the room. "Goodbye everyone. Have a nice day." And with that, he left the house.

Sarah looked over the room. She made a decision then and there. "Everyone get your guns. We're going to that warehouse. We're gonna find out what they're hiding there."


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Action scenes are definitely not my specialty. I hope you guys enjoy it anyway. Regardless, got some cool stuff coming up for the rest of the episode, so hopefully that will make up for it :)

DISCLAIMER: I do not own these characters or the show.

* * *

Everyone had grabbed their favorite firearms, and all loaded into the SUV that the T-1001 had made available to them. Sarah drove, while Derek called shotgun. Kyle, John, and Cameron piled into the back with John in the middle, and Cameron to his right.

Sitting so close to his father felt strange to John. He realized that he had unintentionally and subconsciously been avoiding him since their return to 2009. There had just been so much to deal with, and this was the last thing he wanted to deal with. It was something he had no idea how to handle.

As soon as they were on their way, Sarah began laying out the plan. Everyone knew she was making it up on the spot, seeing as she hadn't even known they would be paying a visit to the warehouse until about thirty minutes ago.

"Cameron, as usual, you'll stick with John. Do not let him out of your sight." At this, John smirked slightly before catching a similar smirk on Cameron's face. _Typical mom._

"The two of you will be our eyes. Tin Miss, if you see any metal, John runs and you take care of the metal. Derek, Kyle, and I will enter the warehouse from the back and see what we can find."

Everyone was silent, which Sarah took as agreement to the plan laid out.

"It's early still, so there's a chance no one will be there. Still, we want to be as inconspicuous as possible."

When they arrived at the warehouse, Sarah drove past it about a half a mile so as to avert suspicion. They all ensured that their weapons were concealed and started the walk back towards their destination.

As soon as they arrived, they immediately branched off into their separate groups. Derek, Kyle, and Sarah headed to the back of the building, while Cameron and John remained in the alley beside the building. The windows were high, but there were big dumpsters pushed up against the wall. John immediately jumped up onto the nearest one, while Cameron quickly followed behind. John reached a hand out to help her up, and though they both knew she didn't need it, she took it.

They turned to look into the window that was located about five feet above the dumpsters.

What they saw was something they hadn't expected.

* * *

The T-1001 entered the room that John Henry had reclaimed as his own. It seemed he felt most comfortable being in the room he'd been kept in for months. He had his back to the T-1001, and he was just standing there, seemingly not doing anything in particular. But the T-1001 knew better than that.

"Hello, John Henry."

He turned to face the T-1001. "Hello, Ms. Weaver. How are you this morning?"

"Very good, thank you. Do we have an update on the current situation?"

"Yes, we do. The shipment was that of numerous firearms. I am currently tracking the status of at least one of the containers. I am currently running a decryption program on the hard drives retrieved by Sarah Connor and Derek Reese from Arkana Industries. I should have the information shortly. The most significant information, however, comes from the warehouse. Evidently, a former employee of Desert Cantos Heat & Air is involved in whatever is going on in the warehouse. This man is believed to be a member of the Kaliba group."

"That is significant, John Henry. What is being done about this?"

"I believe that Sarah Connor is leading the others in a reconnaissance mission."

"But you aren't sure?"

"My role in stopping my brother is to gather information. John and Sarah Connor must be the ones to utilize the information."

The T-1001 cocked its head to the side. "I was not aware of this, John Henry. Is there any reason that you did not tell me this sooner?"

"It didn't seem pertinent. You did not ask me what needed to be done when I stated that I know knew, so there did not seem to be any reason to tell you something that was not inquired about."

"Of course, John Henry."

The T-1001 made to leave the room, but John Henry stopped her. "There is one other thing I have noticed."

"What is that, John Henry?"

"While I was gone, the network was infiltrated again. The data is gone, and I can't get it back, but I believe it is my brother again. I believe he was looking for me."

"Well, he must have been very disappointed then."

John Henry seemed to mull it over. "Yes, he probably was disappointed."

The T-1001 smiled. "I'll leave you to your work, then, John Henry."

"Thank you."

* * *

As Sarah, Derek, and Kyle approached the back of the building, they saw that the door was guarded. Only one guy, obviously not a Terminator. Derek took initiative and quietly made his way over to the guard. The guard was looking the other way at the time, and Derek was only a few feet away, so he was able to reach the guard without being noticed. He lifted his rifle up and smashed it into the guard's head. The guard instantly fell to the ground. Derek motioned for Sarah and Kyle to come over.

He looked at Kyle. "Help me get him into the dumpster." Kyle looked behind Derek and saw a dumpster about ten feet away. Kyle grabbed the guy's legs while Derek lifted up the top half. In a few moments, the guy was in the dumpster.

Meanwhile, Sarah had been surveying the interior of the building through the small window in the door. She didn't see anyone, so when Derek and Kyle returned, she opened the door. She was surprised to find it unlocked, but took little notice of it. The three of them entered the building and silently split up, searching the large, open room. It wasn't completely open, as there were boxes and trucks, and movable walls cutting the room into smaller sections, but it was still obvious that it was just one large, open space.

There was no sound, then suddenly, out of nowhere, there were three thuds, as Sarah, Kyle, and Derek were each hit from behind.

* * *

"The drone." John said, in shock.

"Hunter/Killer." Cameron corrected him. "An aerial HK."

_Great, something else whose only purpose is to kill people. Just what we need._

"Is that what we saw in Desert Cantos?"

"Yes. I can't be sure it's the same one, but seeing as one would need to build an HK from scratch, it would be a safe bet to say that this is, indeed, the same HK."

"That thing tried to kill me."

This was news to Cameron, and she looked at John with worry and confusion on her face.

John realized then that he hadn't told Cameron about the attack in Zeira Corp. "When we went to see Catherine Weaver, the HK came out of nowhere and crashed into her office. That's when we came to find you and John Henry, and that's when we realized that you were both gone." There was a detectable sadness in his voice at the end of that sentence, but they both ignored it.

"What are they doing with an HK?" John wondered aloud to himself.

But then he noticed the look on Cameron's face. "What's wrong?"

"They've been caught. They have all been knocked out. Somehow, they found out that we're here."

John moved to make his way to the back of the building, but Cameron grabbed his arm. "It isn't safe, John. You should leave. I will retrieve your family."

"No. I can do this, Cameron. Let me do this." His eyes were pleading, and despite knowing the dangers, Cameron decided that there would be no way to stop John.

"Okay. But first sign of metal, you run."

"Deal."

* * *

They had gotten into the warehouse easily. It helped to have a Terminator that could easily disable any human adversary. There was a certain confidence that came with that. But the element of surprised was still important, and with the added possibility of encountering another Terminator, caution was still necessary.

John and Cameron heard a few men talking in a sectioned off area to the right. They followed the voices. As they neared, John was able to distinguish exactly what they were saying.

"We don't even know who they are."

A second man responded, "Doesn't matter. They were here. They're armed. They weren't here for a tea party. We gotta get rid of them."

Then a third man was talking. "Let's just get Kearns. Ask him what he thinks."

The first man spoke up. "He'll just kill them, point blank. You saw what he did to Gus last week."

The third man replied, "Exactly. He'll take care of it."

From what it sounded like, it was very possible that this Kearns guy was a Terminator. John and Cameron both knew this, but Cameron knew John wouldn't leave until he was sure.

Before John could realize what had happened, Cameron was suddenly out of hiding, with her pistol knocking the third guy, the closest, on the back of the head. She had no misgivings about killing all three of these men, and was sure that John wouldn't either, she didn't want to draw any unwanted and unnecessary attention by firing her pistol. She knew she could have easily killed the man with her hands, but she often found it beneficial not to reveal her strength right away. Many people would underestimate her, and make mistakes. It was a lot less hassle for her, and usually quieter.

The two remaining men turned their attention to Cameron. She saw, then, that the first man was, in fact, George McCarthy. She didn't recognize the second man, but hadn't expected to. The unidentified man stepped forward and reached for his gun. Before he could shoot, Cameron shot her pistol, knowing that it would be either his or hers that would alert anyone else to their presence. She would rather it be hers.

She could hear footsteps approaching. _Kearns. Probably a Terminator. We have to leave._

She turned to where John was still out of sight. "John." He slowly emerged from behind the boxes he had been stooped behind, and looked at her questioningly. "Wake them up." She nodded towards their three accomplices. "We gotta go." Her gun was aimed at George McCarthy. "You're coming with us."

John, not knowing for sure if he could wake any of them up, but hoping against all hope that he could, started shaking each one. He started with his mom, who, thankfully, came into consciousness almost immediately. The rest followed suit. He took out his pocket knife and cut the restraints that held each of them in place.

The three of them each forced themselves to stand up, knowing that if they were waking up like that, then they should rush.

Cameron turned to the John and the rest. "He's coming. Take him," she gestured towards McCarthy, "and tie him up in the back of the SUV. Wait exactly two minutes once you get to the car. If I don't return by then, or you see anyone else, you drive away." At that, Cameron ran towards where John assumed Kearns was.

John gathered up the loose pieces of restraints he'd removed from his family and pulled out his 9mm. Sarah, Derek, and Kyle retrieved their firearms from where the men had placed them. Derek and Kyle took ahold of McCarthy as John and Sarah followed them out, guns at the ready.

* * *

Cameron quickened her pace in approaching Kearns. She was ready for anything. There was an 89.3% chance that Kearns was, in fact, a Terminator. Most likely a T-888. Her one advantage was the hope that Kearns would not know that she was a Terminator.

And then she could see him. She ran a quick diagnostic, ascertaining whether the man running towards her was machine or human. The results were what Cameron had expected: machine. She ran straight for him. He remained walking calmly. She aimed her pistol at the part of his head where his chip was located, and began shooting. He twitched, but kept on walking. She looked around for possible weapons, knowing what she currently carried would not be sufficient. Across the room, about 20 feet away, she spotted an electrical box. _Perfect._

But getting over there would be difficult. Kearns had reached her by then, and he sideswiped her and knocked her to the ground. She kicked her leg up, and was able to bring him down with her. She quickly pulled herself up, wasting no time to make her way across the room.

She was vaguely aware that Kearns had righted himself, but continued to run towards the electrical box. When it was apparent that she would not reach her destination before Kearns reached her, she turned suddenly and grabbed Kearns by the shoulders and pushed him down. She lifted up her foot to kick him, but he turned and grabbed it instead and threw her across the room. She was now further away from the box, with Kearns between her and it. She grabbed a long lead pipe and ran straight for Kearns as she used it to bash in the side of his head.

She dropped the pipe, and pushed Kearns across the room. She ran for the electrical box as Kearns ran towards her. She tore off the cable that was delivering the electrical current and turned around. Kearns was just close enough for her to apply the current to the side of his head, effectively rendering him unconscious for the next 120 seconds.

Without hesitation, she turned and ran out of the warehouse, knowing there was just enough time to reach the SUV before they left.

* * *

Derek, Kyle, and Sarah waited with McCarthy in the alley while John retrieved the SUV. They couldn't risk anyone seeing them forcing some guy into the back of their truck. When John arrived with the SUV, he backed into the alley so that Derek and Kyle could easily put McCarthy into the back, tying his hands and feet, and gagging him. Sarah took John's place in the driver's seat, while Derek took the front seat, and Kyle and John took their places in the back. Kyle turned his body to face McCarthy, with his pistol aimed at him.

Sarah put the car into drive and headed for the street. John, not wanting to leave Cameron behind, exclaimed, "She said two minutes! We can't leave her!"

Sarah, without looking at John, just stated, "We will wait, John, but we can't be this close to the Terminator. I'll park on the street."

This calmed John down. Once Sarah had parked, John couldn't help glancing back every few seconds to see if Cameron was coming. He finally settled on just focusing all of his attention out the back window. He checked his watch. _1 minute and 43 seconds._ He got a sinking feeling in his stomach as he began worrying about what could be taking her so long. The only comforting thought was that the Terminator hadn't shown up either. John was beginning to lose hope when all of the sudden, Cameron appeared from the alley, running toward the SUV. She opened the door while John slid over to give her room. Before she was even completely in the car, she said, "Drive." Sarah immediately pressed on the gas, silently thankful that there were currently no cars on the road, as she sped away.

Once Cameron was all the way inside and the door was closed she informed everyone that Kearns was going to be out for 120 seconds. "We have 58 seconds before he reboots."

"Where do we take him?" Kyle asked, nodding towards McCarthy.

"I know a place," Cameron stated. To Sarah, she instructed, "Turn right at the next light."


	6. Chapter 6

DISCLAIMER: I do not own these characters or the show.

* * *

"We're almost there. Take the second left and drive all the way down to the end."

They were in a new warehouse that stored freight train cars. Cameron seemed to have a specific car in mind.

John, confused, leaned over and whispered to Cameron. "Cameron, what are we doing here?"

Cameron looked into John's eyes. She spoke with a hint of sadness in her voice. "We're here to find out what George McCarthy knows."

Realization hit John's face. He knew that this was their strongest lead. Most likely, McCarthy wouldn't willingly give the information. Which meant...torture. Possibly. John knew why Cameron was upset. He had to do it. If he was going to be the leader of the resistance, he had to continue to step up. He needed to be the one to get the information.

He remained focused on Cameron, but she could sense the change in his mood. Unknown and unseen to everyone else in the truck, she placed her hand in his and squeezed it gently.

* * *

When they reached the desired car, everyone piled out of the SUV while Kyle and Derek pulled McCarthy out of the back. They led him into the car, which held random objects, which, presumably, had been found around the lot and placed in this car. Among the various objects were a few plastic chairs. Derek and Kyle sat McCarthy down in one of the chairs, and tied him to it. He struggled, but Cameron held his legs and arms still while they were being tied down.

After they were sure he was effectively restrained, they all piled out of the car. Sarah turned to Cameron. "So what now? What's your big plan?"

"We need to know what George McCarthy knows. We need a lead."

"What? You mean torture him?" Kyle asked.

"No. Not unless he will not comply."

"So what, Tin Miss, you're gonna go in there and ask him nicely to spill all of his secrets?" Sarah asked, defensively.

Then John spoke up. "No. I'm going in."

Everyone, except Cameron, stared at him in shock.

"But John..."

John interjected. "No, mom. I have to do this." Before she could do anything to stop him, he opened the door, and entered the car.

* * *

Savannah and John Henry were sitting across the table from each other in the room where they had met.

"Go fish." Savannah said, happy that John Henry had not asked for one of the cards that she currently held in her hand.

John Henry picked up a card from the pile of cards in the middle of the table and added it to the collection in his hand. He looked to Savannah, expectantly.

"John Henry, do you have any 3's?"

John Henry smiled slightly as he pulled a 3 of spades out of the cards he held. He handed it over to the brightly smiling Savannah. Savannah was now left with 2 cards, while John Henry still held 6 cards.

Before John Henry could ask Savannah for a card, she spoke. "John Henry, do you have a mommy and daddy?"

John Henry looked straight at Savannah and said, "Not in the same way that most people do. I have those who created me. Mr. Murch, for example, was integral to my programming. Mr. Ellison, however, has taught me many things similar to what a father might teach a son. And, of course, your mommy has taken care of me and protected me much like she does for you. So the answer to your question is 'yes', Savannah."

"Oh. You're lucky. You have two daddies. I don't have any."

"Well, Savannah, Mr. Ellison has been watching over you for awhile now. And I, of course, have spent much time with you. But I like to think of us more as equals, as friends."

Savannah smiled widely. "I like being your friend, too, John Henry."

John Henry returned the smile. "I'm glad."

Then he turned back to his cards.

"Do you have any 7's?"

Savannah grinned. "Go fish."

* * *

John closed the door behind him and pulled one of the chairs over to sit in front of McCarthy. John took the gag out of his mouth.

"George McCarthy," John stated.

McCarthy looked at him, confused. "Do I know you?"

"I should hope so. I know you. And I'd like to get to know you a little better." There was a lengthy pause. "You tried to kill me."

McCarthy didn't answer.

"The HK? Sent to the Zeira Corporation?" John prodded.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

John pulled the 9mm out. He laid it casually on his right leg.

"The drone. The one you sent to the top floor of the Zeira Corporation."

McCarthy still didn't answer.

John released the safety.

McCarthy wasn't fazed. In fact, he was quite smug in his response. "It wasn't meant for you. You just happened to be there. It's a shame that it didn't kill you."

"So who was it meant for?"

"The machine."

John's mind quickly assumed he meant Cameron, but on second thought, he realized McCarthy must mean the T-1001.

"It's still around, you know."

McCarthy was surprised at this. _He must not know what he's up against. He must think it's just an average Terminator. Not liquid metal._

"She killed everyone." He was solemn now.

"Everyone?"

"In the factory. I wasn't there. But I saw the tapes. She killed them, then she burned the place down."

"Why did she kill them?" John found himself getting used to thinking of the T-1001 as a "she" instead of an "it".

"I don't know. I didn't stay to find out. I knew if she found me, I'd be dead."

"So you pretended you were dead."

"I hoped she wouldn't notice."

"She noticed. They don't miss things like that. They don't make mistakes."

"Why did you steal the HK?"

He shrugged. "It's protocol. Save what you can. It was probably the most important thing anyway."

"But if everyone's gone, why would protocol even matter anymore?" Then it hit John. This wasn't a small operation. This was just a small facet of a larger operation. His blood ran cold.

McCarthy ignored John. "You're just a kid. What do you care about any of this?"

John ignored McCarthy's question this time. "Do you know who you work for? 'Cuz I think we both sure as hell know that it isn't Desert Cantos Heating & Air."

"Yeah, I know who I work for."

"Who do you think you work for?"

No answer.

"I think you work for Kaliba."

At this, McCarthy flinched. John had struck a nerve. McCarthy hadn't expected him to know that.

"Who does Kaliba work for?"

Again, no answer.

"What does Kaliba do?"

Silence.

John stood up. He put the gun to McCarthy's temple and bent down to stare him straight in the eye.

"Do you even know what you're doing? Do you even understand how much you are screwing things up? Do you know what will happen if you don't stop?"

McCarthy just smiled at him, smugly.

John turned around to leave the car. At the last minute, he turned back to McCarthy. He aimed, and shot him in the kneecap.

* * *

Sarah, Cameron, Kyle, and Derek were waiting outside in silence. No one, with the exception of Cameron, knew if John could do this. But he had been so determined. Like he knew exactly what to do. So they had to trust in that. In him.

It had been almost 10 minutes when they heard a gunshot. Before any of them could worry too much, though, John opened the door of the train car, putting everyone's fears to rest.

"What happened?" Sarah asked, still concerned.

"He wouldn't tell me about Kaliba."

"So you shot him?" Sarah asked, hoping she didn't kill him, just injured.

"Just in the knee."

Sarah was astounded at her sons inherent lack of compassion for this man. She knew that after last week, he'd become more jaded, but she hadn't known it had gotten this bad. _Maybe something happened while he was in the future...I can't believe that he could be this ruthless based solely on the events that transpired here._

"Did you get anything out of him?" Cameron asked, knowing that John wouldn't only ask about Kaliba. She wasn't sure if John wanted everyone else to know about the HK, seeing as he hadn't said anything about it yet, so she decided it would be best to keep things vague.

"The T-1001 killed everyone at that factory. Then she blew it up. That drone was meant for her, not us. It was revenge."

"So we're assuming that McCarthy is still working with Kaliba?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah. And that's the other thing. I think Kaliba's much bigger than we originally thought. McCarthy still reports to someone."

Kyle spoke up now. "So if we can figure out who he's answering to, maybe we can find Skynet?"

"Or maybe he's answering to Skynet," Cameron suggested.

This made everyone's blood run cold. John turned to Cameron.

"You mean you think Skynet is already operational? Enough to control these people?"

"It's possible. If John Henry is correct and his "brother" is Skynet, then obviously Skynet would already be self-aware to some degree and able to function at at least a basic level."

John responded, "Well, isn't that just great?"

"Why'd you shoot him?" Sarah asked, not able to wait any longer.

"Because I want him to know I mean business. Because I'm going back in."


	7. Chapter 7

DISCLAIMER: I do not own these characters or the show.

* * *

John had tried to ignore the screams of George McCarthy after he had left the train car. But now that he was back in the same room as McCarthy, he couldn't ignore them. John noted that McCarthy's screams had abated slightly as he realized John had entered the car again. _He doesn't want me to see him as weak. He doesn't want me to know that I've won. _

McCarthy's head hung, presumably trying to hide the pain evident in his face. John sat across from McCarthy again, and not surprisingly, McCarthy didn't look up.

John knew that the only way to confirm what McCarthy knew was to speak it himself and gauge McCarthy's reaction. So he took the 9mm and used the the muzzle to forcibly lift McCarthy's face up so he could see it. While John spoke, he kept the gun pressed to the side of McCarthy's face.

"I don't know what you know, but here's what I know. Sometime in the near future, a computer program will be built. This computer program will be endowed with too much power and too much knowledge. And it'll get pissed off. It will wage war on us, on all humans. It will be a worldwide holocaust, an extinction of the human race. I'm trying to stop this. And you're making it pretty damn hard for me to do so. There's evidence that this computer program already exists in some form or another and is currently stockpiling resources and an army to ensure that it wins this war. Now, I have a hard time believing that you know all of this. That at this point, you would consciously choose to work for something that will obliterate your race. It will destroy this planet. And even if it spares you, it won't matter. There will be nothing worth living for anymore."

John studied McCarthy's face. John could tell he was trying hard not to reveal anything, but John could see through it. _He's surprised. He's not sure if he believes me, but he's definitely doubting everything._

John thought hard about what could get through to McCarthy. He wasn't sure how to convince him, but maybe he could bring him to his senses at least. And then it hit him.

"Zoe's very disappointed in you." This elicited a mixture of pain and confusion from McCarthy, which was displayed most prominently in his eyes. John took this as a sign that he was possibly getting through to McCarthy and continued.

"Your wife, too. They believed in you. They believed that you were good, and weren't involved in whatever was going on in secret at the company." John paused. "But then they saw the tape. Of you and Winston and Mike and his family."

There was no response from McCarthy, but the pain grew in McCarthy's eyes, as the confusion lessened.

"You sent the postcard, didn't you? You didn't want Zoe to think that Mike just left. That he didn't care about her. That tells me that you at least still have a conscience. Do you, George? Do you still have a conscience?"

McCarthy looked John straight in the eyes. There was anger there, contempt. _But not like before. He's angry because of what I've told him. He's angry because his family knows everything now. _

"You stay away from my family."

"I have been. But I can't promise you that they will. I can help you get away. I can help your family get away. You can go somewhere where they'll never find you. Change your names, start a new life. You just need to tell me everything you know. I need to stop this war. If I don't, your family will die. Or they'll wish they had died. Either way, this world will not be one that you would want for them. If you still love them, then you need to help me."

John paused, waiting for a response. He didn't get one. He tried again.

"Will you help me?"

* * *

Ellison still had questions. He hadn't had a chance to ask them, though. He kept being sent away, or given assignments. And because he was too scared of what his boss, a Terminator, would do if he refused, he obliged.

But he was done waiting. He needed to know exactly what was going on. He took it as an encouraging sign that he hadn't yet been killed, but he wasn't sure if that would still be true after the conversation he was about to have.

He entered Catherine Weaver's interim office. He had been surprised when she had called him in. He hoped it didn't mean she had another assignment for him. But he couldn't think of anything else she might need.

Catherine Weaver had her back to the door and was looking out the large window of the office. "Hello, Mr. Ellison." She turned now to face him. She then motioned for him to sit down, which he did. She then sat down in her chair. He waited for her to say something.

"Mr. Ellison, it occurs to me that we haven't had a chance to speak since I returned from the future." Ellison marveled at how natural she made it seem. Like traveling to and from the future was something that happened every day. He waited for her to continue, but he didn't. He realized she was giving him an opening for whatever questions he had. She wasn't going to tell him any more than he needed or could think to know.

"What kind of Terminator are you?" Ellison started with, remembering the way she had morphed into a silver barricade when the drone had crashed into the building.

"I am a model T-1001 Terminator. Liquid Metal. I can take the form of anything."

"So you are not really Catherine Weaver?"

"No. Catherine Weaver is dead." She said this with no remorse, no sadness, the same as she always did.

"Did you kill her?" He knew this question could be the one that would get him killed, but he had to ask it.

"No. She died the same day as her husband. I found her in her office, shot through the head. I took advantage of the opportunity this presented. The resources available when you are the head of such a large tech company are limitless. I disposed of the body. Then the news came that her husband had died in a plane crash. I realized then that someone had killed them."

"They didn't come after you? Whoever killed Catherine Weaver?"

"I've had a few difficulties. But Mr. Ellison, it is very difficult to kill a T-1001. Almost impossible, really."

Ellison pondered his next question, scared of what her answer might be. "But would you have killed her? If you wanted to take over the company and she was still alive, would you have killed her?"

"Yes, Mr. Ellison, I would have. If that was my best option, I would have killed her. Sacrificing one to save billions is sometimes necessary. She very likely would have continued on to build something like Skynet, or at least something that Skynet could have used to its advantage. Sooner or later, I'm sure she would have given me a reason to kill her."

* * *

When John emerged from the train car for the second time, Sarah breathed a sigh of relief that she hadn't heard any unsettling sounds coming from the car. She was unnerved, however, when she realized that John had looked straight at Cameron as soon as he had appeared, and the feeling remained when his gaze stayed on Cameron for longer than Sarah would have liked. After a moment, though, he let the gaze move to Sarah, as he began to explain what had happened.

"He told me everything he knows. And it's a lot. Unfortunately, it's not enough. We're still going to have to do some leg work of our own in order to find what we're looking for. He never met whoever is running everything. He only knew who he reported to, so we can start there. He goes by the name of Emerson, but McCarthy doesn't think that's his real name. There's a deal going down in a few days, and that's the only place that McCarthy knows for sure he'll be."

"Why can't we just call him and set up a meet as McCarthy?" Cameron asked.

"Because he wouldn't come. He'd send a henchman, who more than likely is a Terminator. Plus, it would possibly alert our presence to Emerson, so if we don't succeed, we most likely won't find him. We'll miss our chance. So I say sit tight until the deal goes down. If something goes wrong, if the meet changes, then I have his number, and we can try what Cameron suggested."

When John saw that everyone agreed, he moved on.

"We're going to need to pay Catherine Weaver a visit. We'll need new identities for McCarthy and his family, plus some cash. That can wait until tomorrow, though. I think we're all tired and could use some rest."

"What about him?" Derek asked, motioning towards the train car that held George McCarthy. "What do we do about him until then?"

"We'll blindfold him and take him back to the house. We'll tie him to Cameron's bed, let him get some sleep. He's cooperating, so we shouldn't treat him like a prisoner, but we can't let our guard down." This seemed sensible to everyone else, which surprised John a bit, but he continued anyway. "Derek, Kyle, can you get him into the back of the truck? We're going home."

* * *

The ride home was silent. Cameron sat in the middle this time, so John could lean against the side of the truck. He was exhausted, and everyone could tell. It was getting dark by now, and Cameron knew no one could see in the even darker truck. So she slowly lifted up her hand to gently caress the back of his head. She ran the tips of her fingers up and down. He let out a relieved sigh at the feeling of contentment this brought him.

After taking a few unplanned turns in hopes of confusing McCarthy, should he be storing the data for later, Sarah finally pulled the SUV into the driveway of their new house before continuing into the garage. Derek and Kyle immediately got out and removed McCarthy from the back without anyone having to ask. As John and Cameron got out of the car, Cameron spoke, "I'll bring you the handcuffs."

Sarah wondered idly how they even had handcuffs. She pushed that line of thinking to the side, not wanting to make herself crazy, and reached into her pocket to retrieve her phone. She called the nearest pizza place, which she had already saved to her phone's memory, and ordered two large pepperoni pizzas.

In Cameron's room, Derek and Kyle had just set McCarthy down onto the bed when Cameron entered the room holding the handcuffs. Kyle took the blindfold off before Cameron locked the handcuffs into place on McCarthy's left wrist and the bedpost. McCarthy hadn't been surprised by any of what had transpired, so everyone assumed that John had explained everything to him.

Derek and Kyle, still not trusting of McCarthy (to them he was just another grey), remained in the room. Cameron crossed through the shared bathroom to John's room, where she knew he had gone straight to and presumably collapsed onto the bed. She closed the bathroom door behind her. She could tell that John was close to sleep, but not quite there. She moved to the bed, and laid down next to him. She wrapped herself around him, his head held to her chest, her left leg crossed over his left leg. He moaned softly, turning slightly and placing his right arm over her body. She continued the ministrations that she had executed in the truck, trying to get him to sleep. It worked, but soon, Sarah knocked on the door and announced that the pizza was here. Cameron thought back and realized that John had not eaten since this morning. And that had been pancakes. _That is not a sufficient amount of protein for anyone, _Cameron thought to herself. But she didn't want him to have to exert any more energy then he needed to, so she carefully disentangled herself from his embrace and quietly left the room.

When she reached the kitchen, Sarah looked up, obviously hoping to see her son. She couldn't hide the disappointment in her face when she realized it was Cameron. Cameron ignored this. She was used to it. Honestly, she would be disappointed too, if she had been expecting John and Sarah had arrived instead. Derek and Kyle were sitting at the table, devouring their slices, while Cameron grabbed a plate and reached for two slices for John. Sarah looked at her quizzically. Cameron set the plate down, then got a glass from the cupboard and filled it with water from the refrigerator door. When she turned back to Sarah, she had the same look on her face. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"John is exhausted. However, he requires sustenance. I have surmised that the best way for him to preserve what little energy he has left as well as obtain the required sustenance is for me to bring him food. Don't you think that that's the best way?"

Sarah tried to think of a reason why Cameron could be wrong, but she couldn't. She also knew that she, too, was exhausted and that it was probably best that Cameron be the one to bring the pizza and water to John. So Sarah gave in, replying only with "Whatever."

Cameron knew from experience, that "whatever" often indicated an admit of defeat. So she picked up the plate and made her way back to John's room.

When she had returned to the room, she noted that John had awoken. When he saw her, he immediately smiled. "Is that my dinner?" he asked, gesturing to the plate in Cameron's hand.

"Yes. You have not eaten all day. You should eat something. You also need water. Then you should get some sleep."

John didn't disagree with any of this, and took the plate from Cameron, after which she placed the glass on the bedside table. She then went to close the door before joining John on the bed again. She wasn't sure if this was what he wanted, but he didn't object, so she stayed there. They sat in silence while he ate his pizza.

John couldn't help but realize that this was another thing he liked about Cameron. _We can just be here, together, silent. Perfectly content._


	8. Chapter 8

DISCLAIMER: I do not own these characters or the show.

* * *

Derek had eaten his dinner then retired to the guest house. This left Sarah and Kyle alone together. Kyle had moved to the couch, and Sarah was in the kitchen just finishing up her pizza.

"Can I ask you a question?" Kyle asked Sarah.

Sarah hesitated, knowing that it most likely would be a question she doesn't want to answer, but decided that she probably owed Kyle at least that. "Sure." She was now finished with her pizza, so she went and sat next to him on the couch.

It took Kyle a moment to get it out, but he finally asked, "What was it like? I mean, when we met. What happened?"

A flood of memories invaded Sarah's mind. Memories she would always cherish, but that she fought constantly to keep them from the forefront of her mind. She knew if she allowed them, then she surely would never be able to put them back. But seeing Kyle now, even though he was slightly different from the Kyle that she knew and loved, made it impossible to continue that fight.

"That day, two women named Sarah Connor had been killed. That probably should have kept me from going out, but it didn't. I was at a night club. The Terminator found me, but so did you. We got away. We hid out in a parking garage and you explained everything to me. The Terminator found us again, though, and in trying to escape, we ended up getting caught by the cops. They believed that you had killed the Sarah Connors and that you were going to kill me. They brought in a psychologist who deemed you crazy, suffering from paranoid delusions. But then the Terminator broke into the station, killing everyone in sight. In the confusion, we were able to escape. We checked into a motel." She pauses, then continues, seemingly remembering a pleasant memory. "You taught me how to make home-made pipe bombs. Then I asked you two questions, to which you replied 'no' to both."

Sarah paused again, now feeling the emotions building up inside her. The emotions that she had pushed down for so long.

"What were the questions?"

Sarah, closed her eyes, then answered Kyle. "The first was 'Are you disappointed in me?' and the second was," she took a deep breath, "'Have you ever been in love?'"

"Oh." Kyle didn't know what else to say.

Sarah opened her eyes now. "But you lied."

Kyle gave her a confused look.

"And you admitted it right away." She took another deep breath, preparing herself. "You told me that you were in love with me. John had given you a picture of me, you never knew why. But from the stories and the way John spoke about me, I guess it prepared you for meeting me. And I realized then that I loved you. John was conceived that night, then mere hours later, you were killed." The tears that Sarah had been holding back, not just for the last few minutes, but for a lifetime, began to spill out. "Because of you, I was able to finish off the Terminator. A few months later, I found out I was pregnant. You never knew." By now, her voice was but a mere whisper, having little energy left to speak much louder than that.

Kyle sat there, a pained look on his face. The thought that she had fought her whole life for John, for humanity, with little or no regard to herself, not being able to share any of this pain, it was too much for him to even begin to understand. He reached out and put his arm around her shoulder. Then, having no energy left, she slowly lowered her head down to his lap and broke down, sobbing uncontrollably.

And they stayed there the whole night, just like that, eventually falling asleep.

* * *

It was the middle of the night, and Cameron was watching John sleep. She thought idly to herself that maybe she should get up and check for threats. But before she could decide what to do, John began stirring awake. He looked at Cameron, lying next to him, and briefly thought how lucky he was. Then he remembered the rest of his life, as well as all of the issues he and Cameron had faced and would eventually face, and all thoughts of him being lucky were now gone. Well, not all, as Cameron was still there with him, but they were definitely overshadowed by everything he now had to face. Skynet, Kaliba, all of the other potential A.I.s, all of the now unknown but potentially soon to be known enemies, everything. _Why did I have to go and step up? Why couldn't I just be John Baum? What was so bad about that? _But of course, he knew.

He turned his attention to Cameron, who was confused as to why he hadn't spoken yet. But being Cameron, and a cyborg, she was patient and wouldn't press the subject. He silently thanked her for this.

He lifted up a hand to caress the side of her face. She smiled at this, but the smile soon turned into a slight frown and a look of worry.

"What's wrong?" John asked.

"Earlier, while you were asleep, I heard Sarah crying."

This elicited concern from John, "Do you know what she was crying about?"

"I believe she was explaining to Kyle how she met her Kyle. This made her emotional, so she cried. But she has been silent, presumably asleep, for 3 hours and 13 minutes."

"Oh." John seemed comforted by this explanation. Of course, he was still worried, but he was somewhat glad that his mother had finally been able to talk about everything that had happened. He had actually never talked about it with her. She wasn't even the one to tell him, she just handed him some tapes that she had made, explaining everything. It had just been understood that they would not talk about it.

"She really loved him," Cameron said, interrupting his thoughts.

"Yes, she did."

"So do you think she loves this Kyle?"

John thought about it, unsure. He never knew his father, not the one that Sarah knew. He didn't know how similar the two were. "I don't think so, but I don't think that means that she can't love him." He knew he'd have to try hard not to hope for his parents to be together. He knew it was a long shot, and definitely didn't need another disappointment in his life.

"John?"

"Yeah, Cameron?"

"Do you think that maybe, someday, we could go on a date?"

This surprised John. He hadn't thought of this. He couldn't imagine him and Cameron on a real date. He didn't even think Cameron would want to go on a date. "Like a real date? Like dinner and a movie?"

"Yes. Or we could go to the beach, or an amusement park. Whatever you'd like."

"I guess so, but Cameron, why do you want to go on a date?"

She thought for a moment, then answered, "Because it's what couples do. You told me you love me, and I've told you I love you, and there is no other girl that you seem interested in, so does that not make us a couple?"

"Um, yeah, I guess that makes sense. But we're not the same as other couples, and we still have a lot to figure out."

"Yes, that's why we should go on a date. It's how couples get to know each other in a romantic way."

"Okay. As soon as we can, we'll go on a date."

Cameron smiled widely. "Okay. Thank you, John."

John could feel himself drifting back to sleep, still exhausted from the previous day. "You're welcome, Cameron."

* * *

The next morning, Derek arrived at the main house, only to find his brother and Sarah asleep together on the couch. He smirked and chuckled lightly to himself before heading to the kitchen to make breakfast. He wasn't sure what he'd make when he got there, but he definitely knew how to scavenge.

But when he entered the kitchen, he found Cameron there, collecting ingredients for what looked like an omelet.

Cameron looked up when Derek entered the kitchen. To Derek's confused look, she responded, "John needs protein in the morning. He has been eating pancakes for too long. The rest of you will benefit from the protein as well."

Derek didn't respond, he just sat down at the kitchen table. Cameron went back to what she was doing.

A moment later, Kyle entered the kitchen, obviously not completely awake yet. He just sat at the table with Derek. The two brothers were silent, but Derek couldn't help but smirk again at where he had found Kyle earlier.

A few minutes later, Cameron was finishing up breakfast as Sarah came into view.

"I just called Catherine Weaver's office. She's in meetings all morning, but we can meet with her this afternoon. Until then, McCarthy will stay where he is. We'll watch him in shifts." She addressed Kyle, "We'll go get you a bed today." She then turned to Cameron. "You stay with John. If he needs to go out, which I suspect he will want to do, that's okay. Just don't draw attention to yourselves, and make sure Derek stays with McCarthy. And don't stay out too long."

"Okay." Cameron then picked up the two plates of breakfast she had prepared and left the kitchen. Sarah, Derek, and Kyle started eating their breakfasts once she had left the room.

* * *

When John woke up, Cameron wasn't next to him in bed. He didn't think anything of it, and got up and went to check on McCarthy. He thought maybe Cameron was there, keeping an eye on him, but when he got to the room, he realized that she wasn't there. McCarthy was awake, waiting patiently. When John had appeared in the room, McCarthy had turned to see who was there.

"We'll go get the money and IDs later today, then we'll go find your family. I can't promise that they'll want to come with you. If that's the case, then we'll have to get you a separate identity. They'll be free to go where they want, and you'll stay behind to give them a head start. You have to prepare yourself for the possibility that they won't trust you. And if they don't want to be with you, then you have to accept that. It's their choice. You've made your bed, now you have to lie in it. Okay?"

McCarthy just stared at John, speechless. _How is it that this kid is so smart? He seems so confident and sure of himself. What made him this way?_

"John, how do you know all of this? About the machines? The war? And what do you have to do with it?"

John considered how much to reveal. "You probably won't believe me."

"Try me."

"I just know. I've been dealing with this my whole life. Fighting machines, fighting Skynet. We've kept Skynet from being built a few times, but someone always tries to build it again. I can't tell you anything more than that."

"And how do I know that you're telling me the truth? That you're not just some spy trying to steal our research?"

"I can prove it to you, if you need me to. At least the machine part. The other stuff, you'll just have to take my word for."

Just then, Cameron entered the room holding two plates. John turned his attention to her, smiling to himself at the image of her bringing him breakfast. She handed one of the plates to him then said, "I made omelets. I thought maybe you deserved a break from pancakes. There's some for you, too." She handed McCarthy the remaining plate. He set the plate on his lap, and began digging in awkwardly as he only had one hand free.

Before John began eating, he set his plate down, then took Cameron's hand in his and lead her out of the room.

She looked at him, confused. "You should eat, John. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day."

"I will, don't worry. It's just...McCarthy's not sure if he believes me about the machines, about Skynet. I have to make sure he believes me so that I know that the information he gave me is legitimate."

"Yes, it's important that he believes you."

"I want to prove to him that machines exist. It's the best I can do." John really didn't want to ask Cameron what he was about to ask her, but he knew he had to. "I want to show him that you are a machine. Is that okay?"

"Yes, John. I always want to help you. We'll go show him."

"Um, Cameron, maybe we should wait until after he's finished eating?"

"Yes, that would be wise. You should eat your breakfast as well."

After John and McCarthy had finished their breakfast and drank the orange juice that Cameron had retrieved from the kitchen, John faced McCarthy. "You said you wanted proof. Are you sure?"

"Yes. Show me."

John looked over his shoulder at Cameron. "Cameron, do you have your knife?"

Cameron took the knife she had scavenged from the basement out of her jeans and handed it to John. John looked at the knife, not surprised that she had it with her. He remembered the last time Cameron had handed him a knife, and breathed deep when knots started to form in his stomach. He ignored the knots and turned slightly towards Cameron. He ran his left hand down the length of her right arm. He stopped just above her wrist. He bent her arm up so it was angled much in the way it had been when he had fixed her in the garage. He lifted the knife up and hesitantly pressed the knife to her arm, pushing down to cut a sizable opening in her arm. He pulled aside the skin, and looked to McCarthy, making sure he could see it.

When he saw McCarthy, he had a horrified look on his face. Then it set in. She isn't human. She's a machine. Or at least her arm is.

"That doesn't prove anything, just that she has a robotic arm."

John thought he might say this, but hoped the arm would be enough. He addressed Cameron, "Cameron, maybe you can show him...?"

She immediately understood what he was saying, and her eyes flashed blue. When McCarthy saw this, he still wasn't convinced.

"Some weird contacts. Or maybe she had an eye transplant."

John couldn't believe McCarthy wasn't convinced. He thought for sure the arm and the eyes would be enough.

He ran his hand over Cameron's soft hair. "Do you want to show him?"

Cameron wasn't entirely sure what John met, but she responded, "Yes. We should show him."

John led Cameron over to the bed. "Lay down, please."

Cameron lay down on the right side of the bed. McCarthy was visibly confused, but watched with curiosity.

John sat on the edge of the bed, much like he had when he had taken Cameron's chip out so long ago. He ran his hand over her hair again, on the left side of her head. He tilted her head to face to the side, towards him. He took the knife and started cutting into her skull. When he had finished cutting a semi-circle, he peeled away the skin. McCarthy looked at the revealed metal, obviously convinced now.

"She's a machine."

"Yes, she is." He carefully replaced the skin as Cameron turned her head back to look at him. They shared a smile, then John turned his attention back to McCarthy.

"But you said that the machines wage war against us. Why are you working with one?"

"No, I said Skynet waged a war against us. The machines are just programmed by Skynet to be its army. Cameron is reprogrammed. She fights for us. She protects me." He turned back to Cameron. "Did mom say when we're leaving for Catherine Weaver's office?"

"Yes. We will go this afternoon. She and Kyle have left to buy Kyle a bed. You should take a shower, and I should secure the perimeter. I will ask Derek to come stay with McCarthy."

"Sounds good." As Cameron got up from the bed and left to get Derek, John's attention was moved to McCarthy. He looked like he wanted to ask a question.

He didn't ask anything, and John left it alone.

Soon, Derek entered the room, relieving John of babysitting duty. Cameron didn't return, and John assumed that she had started her patrol. He went into the bathroom and closed the door behind him. He started the shower, and got in when it was warm enough.

The water felt good on his wearied body. He stayed in longer than necessary, strategizing on the tasks ahead of him.

* * *

**NOTE: Story is continued in Episode 3: Closer Enemies.**


End file.
